Loosened-up Morris Bounces Back Nicely

Sports forum

GAINESVILLE — Moments before Florida Gators quarterback Kyle Morris took his first snap in Friday's practice, he heard booing.

Booing? Already? That wasn't scheduled until Saturday.

These catcalls were coming from his teammates and coaches. Brother. But there was a method to their mischievous maliciousness.

Orchestrated by fun-loving assistant Whitey Jordan, the ferociously familiar reception was designed to loosen up Morris, the sophomore quarterback who was booed at Florida Field during the Gators' season-opening clunker against Ole Miss last week.

Morris admitted laughing so hard he couldn't call a play. For a few seconds, the Gators were enjoying college football.

''Yeah, we really got on his ass,'' said Jordan, the offensive coordinator. ''We wanted to get him ready. We wanted him to know we believe in him. I started it. I thought Galen Hall was going to break up.''

That would have been one of the few times last week Hall had reason to laugh, what with him being implicated in a sports agent-player scandal rocking UF. This ugly accusation came on the heels of the Ole Miss loss that no doubt convinced certain factions that Hall needs directions to the employment office.

Morris, the Gators and Gainesville desperately needed to loosen their collars. They needed a pie in the face, somebody to short-sheet their beds.

They needed . . . Louisiana Tech.

Doesn't everybody who's on the skids? The Bulldogs were stubborn enough to justify the ticket prices and pliable enough to restore self-esteem to all Gators, particularly one Kyle Morris.

Treated like he had given the Soviets missile secrets last weekend, Morris didn't give the home fans a chance to singe his earlobes. His first pass was a 69-yard touchdown to Ernie Mills, a thing of such rare beauty and form that it took the crowd by complete surprise. You could almost see 65,000 curiously staring at the play from all angles, as if they had stumbled upon a Dali at an art gallery.

What is that, anyway? That was the long-range work of Kyle Morris, his first and the Gators' first touchdown pass in the past 11 games. In between, Morris had been mostly drawing out of the lines, throwing 15 interceptions - two coming against Ole Miss.

They should have stopped the game right there, and erected velvet ropes at the spot Morris let it fly.

What this rare portrait actually was was a Kyle Morris original, or audible. Along with an expected hostile crowd, the Gators also had prepared Morris to face the Bulldogs and their wave of blitzes. With the composure of a safe-cracker, Morris noted the one-on-one coverage on Mills and changed the play at the line. Mills sprinted past cornerback James Jones, and Morris dropped it in his palms.

It wouldn't be the last for Air Morris, who, by last Saturday's applause meter, couldn't throw short. He came back with an 84-yarder to Tony Lomack, another Ole Miss goat, for a 17-7 lead. Before heaving a 43-yard score to Terence Barber, Morris gave an indication of the kind of day he would have by catching his deflected pass for a 1-yard gain.

The way Morris came back to play - 254 yards and three touchdowns - after being publicly undressed was testimony to his unnerving character. Jordan said the coaching staff was bothered more by the booing than Morris, who said, ''I couldn't let it get to me. It was hard, but you can't let it eat you. This whole thing may help me.''

It might. Morris doubles as a student assistant for one of Professor Walter Busby's classes. When the class met Thursday night, Morris openly reminded his slightly absent-minded professor about a paper that was due.